Numerical Performance Investigation of a Side‐outlet Cyclone for Particulate Matter and Polymer Powder Separation

Abstract

The side‐outlet cyclone, featuring a novel geometric design with a lateral gas outlet, proves advantageous in space‐constrained environments compared to traditional cyclones with top gas outlets. Herein, a cyclone separator with a side‐outlet configuration was numerically investigated using the renormalization group k‐ε model and pressure drop and separation efficiency as the performance parameters. Simulation results revealed that the side‐outlet cyclone operates at a low to moderate pressure drop of 80.8412 Pa, with a removal efficiency of 45.48 %. The operating pressure drop was found to be only one‐third of the computed pressure drop from mathematical modeling, with a removal efficiency 15 % lower than the experimental value. With varying cyclone design modifications, suitable experimental procedures and measuring approaches are desirable to further accurately corroborate these results.